Honor of Kings Mobile Spin-Off Gets Regulatory Approval

Honor of Kings: World, the highly anticipated open-world RPG spin-off of Tencent's popular MOBA, Honor of Kings, has received approval from Chinese regulators. This approval, part of the first batch of 2025 game releases, signals an imminent launch.

While a concrete release date remains unannounced, the regulatory green light suggests a relatively swift market entry. True to its name, Honor of Kings: World expands the Honor of Kings universe into a fully explorable open world. Its impressive graphics and open-world gameplay were prominently featured during the iPhone 16 showcase.

For those unfamiliar, Honor of Kings is a globally renowned MOBA, surpassing even League of Legends in some regions. Previously limited to China and Asia, its immense popularity now extends globally. Honor of Kings: World might serve as the perfect entry point for MOBA skeptics.

A significant development The approval is particularly noteworthy given China's previous gaming licensing freeze. This period significantly impacted the Chinese game development and publishing landscape before a recent surge of approvals.

This wave of approvals, exceeding even last year's highest monthly totals (according to the South China Morning Post), indicates a potential influx of Chinese games in 2025. The coming months will reveal whether this leads to a highly competitive market or some titles being overshadowed. We eagerly await further updates.